Pronunciation:
•Pronounced keer-ree-bahss

Background:
•The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.

Geography:
•Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
•Includes three island groups – Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, and Phoenix Islands
•Total land mass equals four times the size of Washington, DC.- about 328 square miles.
•The capital is Tarawa

The People:
•Population is approximately 107,000 people
•Language I-Kiribat
•The people of Kiribati are of Micronesian Descent.
•The Government of Kiribati is a Republic Government.

Religion:•52% of the population is Catholic
•40% of the population is Kiribati Protestant (which teaches a socialized Gospel)
•The other 8% includes Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha’i, Latter-day Saints, and the Church of God
•There is not a Gospel preaching New Testament Church located within this country.

 

Official Currency:
•Australian Dollar

Highest Point:
•266 ft.

Average Height:
•6ft.